Seattle Fast Food Workers to 'Boycott McPoverty'

"I'm fighting for a $15 minimum wage so I can afford the basic necessities of life."

On Thursday, February 20, Seattle fast food workers will go on a citywide strike against McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's to push for a minimum wage increase to $15 that "boosts the economy and lifts workers out of poverty" according the website Boycott McPoverty.

"The big burger chains make billions of dollars a year while paying workers less than it takes to survive," says the website. "The big three chains serve billions & billions of burgers at more than 24,000 locations across the country (including 25 in Seattle), and they make billions and billions of dollars doing it. McDonald's alone banked $5.6 billion in profit just last year, with a profit margin of 20%. Even the franchised stores in these chains are typically owned by large and profitable corporations that control hundreds of locations."

The site also features a testimony from a fast food worker named Brittany Phelps who states, "Because I make minimum wage I cannot afford daycare, healthcare, or my own place for me & my daughter. Instead I live with 7 other people in a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment. I'm fighting for a $15 minimum wage so I can afford the basic necessities of life."